Top US General Describes Deadly Niger Ambush

The top US general said on Monday that the American people, including the families of the fallen soldiers in Niger, deserve answers about this month's deadly ambush which claimed the lives of four US soldiers, including that of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, whose widow Myeshia Johnson has been involved in an escalating feud with President Trump over the contents of his controversial phone call meant to deliver condolences.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, acknowledged that there was "a perception that the Department of Defense has not been forthcoming"about the mission and said that "we owe the families as much information as we can find out about what happened. The only thing I'm asking for here today is patience so that the information we provide you is factual."

The general said that the four U.S. special operations personnel died Oct. 4 amid a "complex situation" and a "difficult firefight" and explained that they were ambushed by ISIS fighters with rockets and machine guns while leaving a village on a reconnaissance mission and heading back to their post.

12 US special operations forces accompanied by 30 Nigerien troops departed Oct. 3 on a reconnaissance mission from the capital to an outlying village. They left Oct. 4 to return to their operating base, and after leaving the village came under fire from about 50 local tribal fighters affiliated with ISIS and armed with rockets, machine guns and small arms. He said that they had set out with expectations that contact with the enemy was “unlikely." The contact with the enemy happened south of the village and outside of the village borders.

At the beginning of the attack, a drone was not overhead but was sent up immediately after it started. The intelligence on the ground earlier in the day and before the mission did not indicate an incident would occur.

"I don't have any indication right now to believe or to know that they did anything other than operate within the orders they were given," Dunford told reporters.

Dunford also said that his assumption is that the troops originally thought they could handle the resistance, and didn't call for support for an hour. An hour after that (two hours after the fighting began) French French Mirage jets arrived on the scene. As a result of the firefight, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright were killed. Sgt. La David Johnson was reported missing, and troops stayed in the area until his body was recovered on Oct. 6.

Dunford acknowledges many questions remain about what happened near Niger's Mali border, including whether the U.S. had adequate intelligence and equipment for its operation, whether there a planning failure and why it took so long to recover one the bodies. He also said US forces have been in Niger intermittently for more than two decades, and that some 800 U.S. service members are supporting a French-led mission to defeat the Islamic State, al-Qaida and Boko Haram in West Africa.

Many Americans have expressed surprise about the U.S. military operating in Niger. Congress has been repeatedly briefed about American presence on the ground, but Dunford explained why units are in country and said the U.S. can be proud of its counter-terrorism operations in the region. “The reason we’re in West Africa is because there’s a concentration of ISIS and Al Qaeda,” Dunford said, adding that the U.S. has had troops in Niger on-and-off for 20 years. “We have sent [U.S. special forces] there to operate in areas where there are extremist elements.”

Dunford said the Pentagon is still investigating the following open questions involving the ambush:

Did the mission change during the operation?

Did they have sufficient intelligence, equipment and training?

Was the pre-mission assessment of the threat accurate?

How did Sgt. Johnson become separated?

Why did it take so long to recover his body?

Dunford concluded that once all of the information about the situation is gathered, he will sit with the families who will have him in their homes to go over the details. After that, he will relay the details to the press.

Have you noticed how careful all the cable news outlets are to say the country name "Niger" with a French accent? NIE-JzzerI keep saying to my television: I don't understand. Say it without a French accent!Deadly Niger. Perhaps he speaks of Chicago?

slightly OT , but what's with the jamaicans naming their kids "La- " (fill in the blank with normal name ie:David, etc) oh and btw, has anyone seen any MSM coverage recently of the LV cover-up i mean shooting ?me neither.

It's pretty hard to cover up the shooting when videos of 17 ambulances at Hooters show up on the Net. Plan B, ignore it and the sheep will forget in 2 weeks. Look how nobody is talking about Wasserman and Awan. Poof, and gone.

Think of it another way .. Steady streams of employment, population control, and all manner of mental dysfunction .You thought ole John McCain was just kidding around regarding those 100 year wars ?I'm tellin ya, there is hell to pay, and the devil is here to collect (souls!)

If we wanted to win we could easily do it in under a month, kill everyone and everything with any means available. If all your enemies are dead the war is won. This is how war works.

Or you kill most of them, they eventually surrender, you occupy their country for decades raping their women and enslaving their men torturing hundreds of thousands to death, have them fund your country then pay you into perpetuity for fighting the war you started against them. Like the Jews did to the Germans.

I think we should give Trump a break on this. At least he called the widow and not only offered his condolences but called her husband a hero. How many familes...black or white...did Hussein Barak Obama call and refer to their their serviceman as a hero for fighting ISIS; a Muslim Islamic backed terrorist organization?That aside, I want to know what every American black, white or red wants to know....What the fuck are we doing in Niger? Or Mali or any West African nation??? 800 foreign military bases are 700 too many. Mr President, bring these soldiers home!

I call it Gladio / FFBlack Ops. Nothing whatever to do with the massive Chinese uranium mine complex in Azelik.....Now what would it take to get US involvement supported in yet another Country we have no business having troops in???

Hell the way O'Barry and the Alinsky press explained it all to us, Goree Island and its "Door of No Return" sounded like it was owned by Robert E Lee himself...lol...instead of ya know, the Brits, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portugese.Truly riveting TeeeVeee for snowflakes tho ;-)

I was tinkin’ the exact same thing. What resources does Niger have, that we covet, that would place “the terr’ist boogeyman” in that country? Cause’ ya sure as hell know this ain’t about “fighting to protect us and our freedoms “.

How many other other US soldiers were on that patrol?Were there "contractors" mercenaries on the patrol?How many of the 30 Nigeriens died in the attack?Was Johnson's body mutilated? Burned?WTF happened to the drone? Shot down?An hour for the french to show up after being called. Were they at a patisserie in St. Germain des Pres or flying biplanes?Did the legal gov of Niger invite the US or like Syria the US does whatever the fuck big corps need done?This shit happened 18 days ago. 18.Is the military so fucking stupid it takes that long to come up with a lie, I mean intel about what happened.Over 18 fucking days = cover up of some shit.Some asses need firing.

Nearest French Air Force bass is N’djamena in Chad. Given the US didn’t actually tell anyone they were on a mission or ask for air cover, I think an hour to get there from Chad is actually pretty fast. What has the world come to when you guys need to be bailed by France? Pretty funny.

Same-same but different with "China Girl" by David Bowie. Both great songs. Bowie's song is actually triple-entendre - describing (i) a love affair; (ii) U.S. Policy in SE Asia at the time; and (iii) the effects of good China White.

and while you are at it take a peek at the natural resources in N. Korea. Like rare earths and such. Insanity is not confined to N. Korea leaders by any stretch. And I tend to believe the NK claim of self defense. They been waiting a really long time for a peace treaty to end the Korean war. NADA.They have watched US troop building along the borders.Kinda like Russia.Who is the agressor worldwide? Now be honest.